Bring me to life
by loonie lupin
Summary: Sequel to Tourniquet. The aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Aiden, Danny, Stella, Mac and most probably the rest of the team (at least at some extend)

**Pairing**: none (maybe later)

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood and (I think) What You See is What You See I don't know exactly when Aiden is fired so we'll say that she is not working at CSI anymore but it's before Lindsay comes

**Author notes: **I decided to make a sequel but I'm not sure of the direction it's going to take. I'm not really good at emotional stuff and, quite frankly, I don't know a thing about post suicide attempt, so you'll have to excuse me if some things are not really plausible.

And again, I'm not English, so I hope they are not too many language's mistakes.

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Bring me to life

Aiden walked into the building like a robot. She was still in shock from what Danny had done. Fortunately, his friend would most certainly recover, at least physically speaking. She was lucky to have been there, she had been able to slow the flow of blood as she was waiting for the ambulance. It had probably saved his life but, at this point, Aiden wasn't sure he would thank her.

She had followed him to the hospital and had already been there for several minutes when she remembered about the other members of the team. She had to tell them. She could have phoned from the waiting room but she had been feeling as she was going to asphyxiate. She had needed to go out and so decided to go to the CSI office and speak the other face to face.

But now, she wasn't sure she would have the strength to do it. How could she tell Danny's friends that he had tried to kill himself? They would feel guilty. She certainly did.

On the way to her former office, she had had time to think about everything that happened in the past months. She had wanted to know why Danny would do something so desperate and come to the conclusion it was time to go backward. The only thing she arrived to was that all of them were guilty. All of them had turn their back on him since he was identified as a former Tanglewood Boy and, doing that, they didn't notice he was slowly breaking down. And now, Danny was lying on a hospital bed, wavering between life and death, and it was their own damned fault.

As she wandered in the numerous halls, she was stunned to discover that nobody even thought to ask her what she was doing here. It had been more than a month since she had been fired and it was as if nobody knew it. Of course, the main team she had worked with knew, there was no other way possible, but even people she used to see almost everyday didn't seem to have noticed. Again, she was reminded of how self-centered they all were, including her. How many people of the lab had gone during the time she had worked there? And how many time didn't she even noticed it? She couldn't know and, maybe, she didn't want to know.

Without thinking about it, she managed to arrive at the labs Stella worked in. The older woman was the one who called her, thinking that Danny wasn't doing well, so it was Aiden's obvious choice to go to her to announce the awful piece of news. Burn barely registered the other workers as she entered the lab, going straight for Stella. The latter seemed to notice a presence and turned around, letting go what she was doing, to great Aiden.

"Hey, Aiden. You spoke to Danny?" she asked, without any beating around the bushes.

Aiden opened her mouth to answer but nothing came. She had her throat so tight she thought it was a wonder she still was able to breath. Nonetheless, this lack of response was enough to worry Stella, who took then a real look at the young woman in front of her.

This was then she noticed the redness of her eyes, sign of a recent crying. Something stirred in the Greek's gut, telling her it couldn't be good.

"Aiden," she repeated, in a soft voice. "What happened?"

Stella added a hand on the shoulder of Aiden, wanting to reassure her and this little touch was enough to bring the younger woman over the edge. She broke down, starting to cry, in front of a bewildered Stella who didn't know what it was about but, nevertheless, gathered her in her arms and began to soothe her, stroking gently her back.

As the sobs continued, Stella was able to make out a few word out. _Danny_. _Hospital_. _Blood_. _Critical_.

"Aiden!" the Greek woman pushed her away and took her at arms length, successfully shaking her out of her panic state. "Tell me exactly what happened. Is Danny alright?"

Burn shook her head and breathed profoundly, trying to get a hold on herself. Once she was calm enough to speak and make sense, she began to talk.

"Danny is in hospital, intensive care. He was in a critical state when I left, but the doctor said he should live. Oh! Stella! How could we be so blind!"

Tears began to run down her cheeks again and Stella feared to understand what she meant by that. Bad enough that her young colleague was in hospital and in intensive care, but if it had been their fault…. Even so, she had to know exactly what happened.

"Why is he in hospital?" she asked. "What happened?"

"He sliced his wrist open," she confessed.

The truth hit Stella like a blow. Danny, _Danny,_ had tried to commit suicide. What the hell.

"What?" she exclaimed.

However Aiden didn't respond. What more could she say? She just looked at Stella, with eyes full of regret and self-loathing. She couldn't forgive herself.

Stella fought to maintain her composure. She had to stay cold-headed and take the situation into hands, since the younger woman seemed at a lost at the moment. It was now Stella's job to announce Danny's decision to the rest of the team. After all, they had to go to the hospital, to make sure that Danny would survive… and, most of all, to be there when he would wake up. Because if there was something the young CSI agent needed right, it was the support of all his friends. He needed to know he was not alone and he needed to be assured they would all be there for him, no matter what happened. They already failed him once, it was no way Stella would let them, and herself, make the same mistake twice.

"Okay, Aiden, come with me. We go talk to Mac and the three of us are going to go to the hospital. I'll phone Flack and Hawkes in the car."

The black-haired woman simply nodded and gratefully let Stella take the lead. She was relieved she didn't need to take any decision anymore.

The walk, almost run, to Mac's office was accomplished in a deep and uncomfortable silence, filled with bittersweet regrets and infinite worry. Seeing the two women's faces, nobody asked them what happened but everybody was able to deduce it was something serious. Aiden's cheeks were still streamed by dried traces of tears and Stella's expression was closed, the way it was when she was concentrating on a inquiry.

When they arrived, Mac was on the phoned but, as soon as he heard his office's door and Stella calling him, he quickly dismissed whoever was on the phone.

"… I'll call you when we find something," he said before hanging up. "What can I do for you, Stella?" he asked, turning around, before laying his eyes upon Aiden and frowning. "Aiden? What are you doing here?"

Before the young woman had a chance to answer, Stella began ordering her boss around. She didn't do it very often, but usually, when she did, she had a damn good reason so, as soon as the Greek told him to let down all his work and come with them, he feared the worse…

"What's the matter?" he asked, already getting up and tidying the files on his desk.

… and the worse he got.

"Danny is in hospital, it's not good."

"What?"

" It was touch and go when Aiden left but the doctor are optimistic," she finished, without caring about the interruption.

_Danny is in hospital, it's not good_, the words were echoing in Mac's mind. What on heart had happened now? He hurried to leave with the girls and asked Stella while running to the elevator.

" Did he have an accident?" he inquired. _'Please tell me he didn't have an accident while crossing the street or something because his mind was elsewhere…"_

With relief, he saw Stella shook her head. But relief stayed only for so long. "It was not an accident," she said carefully. "It was a suicide attempt."

The revelation hit Mac so hard he actually stopped walking. _A suicide attempt? Danny? _

"Mac?" questioned Stella. He saw that both her and Aiden were looking at him strangely and he resumed running.

Once they were in the car, Mac began to drive to the hospital while Stella was calling Danny's other friends.

"Aiden, how come you found Danny?" Mac asked, genuinely curious and maybe just a bit amazed she had been there at the exact time… but sincerely grateful for it.

"Stella called me and told me to check on him. Apparently he didn't seem too well when he left the building."

"And do you have any idea of what make him do that. Did he left a note or something?"

"Err…. No, I mean, no he didn't let anything and didn't say anything about a reason either.."

"Say?" he interrupted her. "What do you mean 'say'"

"Well, he was still conscious when I found him and we discussed a bit," Aiden explained and, then, noticing his stare felt the urge to explain herself. "I swear I didn't see what he had done. It was dark and I couldn't see the blood and he was talking in his usual manner and I didn't notice - "

"Aiden, Aiden," he called, wanting to calm her. "I'm not accusing you of anything. I know you did your best. But, I need to know, when you were discussing, did he say anything, anything at all that may explain why he tried to kill himself?"

Mac hated asking that and feared the answer more than anything. It was bad enough that he didn't succeed preventing that from happening, but if he learnt that it was because of something he had done or said…

"No…. We just had a discussion, a normal discussion and… well, he told me to tell you and Stella some things," she suddenly remembered. "Not that it would explain everything but since he wanted me to tell you these things, maybe I should."

Stella had finished her phone call now and was listening to Aiden too. So Danny had let a message for her? It was strange but she wanted to know, so she encouraged Aiden to talk. As did Mac.

"Well," began Aiden. She still had a lung in her throat and didn't know if she would be able to repeat what Danny thought would be his last words. "He told me to tell you that he was sorry for worrying you, he didn't meant to do it" she said, looking at Stella.

The other woman couldn't believe his eyes. Danny was _dying_ and he was sorry he had worried her. She had good damn reason for worrying! But she didn't have time to rant mentally as Aiden began to talk again, recalling Danny's message for his boss.

"And he wanted me to tell you that it was not because he didn't trust you that he didn't tell you about Tanglewood, that it was because he didn't want you to be disappointed in him. Oh! And that you were a good boss" she finished, congratulating herself for not breaking down.

Mac acknowledged the message with a pain in his chest. What should he think about the fact that Danny brought up the Tanglewood's issue as he was slowly dying? Furthermore, knowing what their last conversation had been about and how it had ended. He remembered the look on Danny's face when he didn't told him they were okay, but just that they would see. He had seemed… crushed. Why the hell did he have to tell the young man such a stupid thing? They maybe hadn't been okay at the time, but he had already know that they would be if Danny continue working hard and well, so why didn't he told him that?

But it was time for him to stop berating himself. The light of the hospital's car park greeted him and he stopped the car. It was time to know if Danny would really survive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Aiden, Danny, Stella, Mac and most probably the rest of the team (at least at some extend)

**Pairing**: none (maybe later)

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood and (I think) What You See is What You See I don't know exactly when Aiden is fired so we'll say that she is not working at CSI anymore but it's before Lindsay comes

**Note: **okay, so the larger part of this chapter is from Danny's point of view… it will be a little strange, you're warned. I promise next chapter won't be the same.

_And thanks to everyone who let me a review!_

_**Chapter 2**_

The hospital room was nearly silent, no sound betraying any human presence, even though six people were now staying into it. The nurses had tried to make them leave, protesting they shouldn't wear out their patient, who still hadn't regain consciousness, but they had been forced to let down, realizing the hard way that CSI agent were simply not very cooperative when one of their one was hurt. Beside, even if it was against normal procedure to allow so many people to stay in the room of a patient, and more so out of visiting hours, the medical staff was painfully aware Detective Danny Messer would need all the support he could get from his friends once he woke up.

That was why, at the moment, there was a congregation of CSI, sleeping more or less restfully, in the young man's private hospital room. Don Flack had taken place on the second bed and was now sleeping propped against the wall, Stella Bonasera using his chest as a pillow. She had lain down beside him and had one leg hanging out of the bed, balancing almost imperceptibly without touching the floor.

Sitting on the two chairs beside the door, Sheldon Hawkes and Aiden Burn had dozed off and the young woman's head was resting against Sheldon's shoulder, providing the support she needed to prevent her from falling down.

Finally, Mac Taylor had taken the seat just beside Danny's bed. He had watched the rest of his staff going to sleep, one after another, losing their battle against tiredness, and then had stared at his young detective whose face was as white as dead due to the blood loss for what must have been hours before he, as well, had failed to stay awake.

When the nurse had taken a look into the room, as she was used to do with all her patient before ending her shift, none of them had stirred, obviously too tired to wake up. She had smiled sadly, wondering how a young man who apparently had so many friends who cared so much about him could have felt as if he had nothing left to live for. She had silently walked out of the room, pondering on that.

&&&

The sound of a steady beep began to pulse in his ears. He wasn't aware of his surroundings, but was fairly certain it wasn't the first time this noise echoed in his head. It was a grounding, reassuring sound that helped him through the dark maze of his mind, bringing him slowly out of the mist he had lost himself in.

As the sound became louder and louder, rational thoughts flew again trough his brain and reality caught up with him. He remembered the last vision he had before failing into an endless darkness, the vision of his own personal angel: Aiden. He remembered the panicked eyes she had laid on him when she hadn't understand anymore what he had been talking about, when she hadn't understand he had been telling her goodbye.

The real nature of the sound he had been hearing for what seemed like hours now revealed itself to him at that time and he realized he was laying in what was probably a hospital bed. Of course, Aiden would have known how to save him even when he didn't want to be saved. For a single moment, he felt anger rise in his chest: why did she have to do that? Why couldn't she have let him die?

However, anger vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She had cared. She had cared enough to save him. And he remembered Stella had cared too. The Greek had been the one to ask Aiden to check on him because she had been worried. It meant that there were still people who cared, still people who were his friends.

Suddenly, it wasn't anger, or sadness that crept into him but shame. Shame to have let down his friends like this…

'…_but they have let you down first,'_ a little voice in his head said. And it was true. He had been hurting for weeks and nobody ever noticed, nobody ever tried to inquire.

'…_could they really have know something was wrong when you acted as you always have? As you hide behind a mask to prevent them from finding out?'_ another voice told him and he had to admit it was true as well. He had always done that, even when he was a child. Because in his family, nobody could show his real feeling, it was the key to survive. So he learnt that in his most tender years. And then, there were Tanglewood and Sonny and if you didn't want to end up dead somewhere in an alley, you had to always play, always conceal everything that could have been used against you. Nobody ever noticed the truth there, when he was only a child, so after so many years of practice, who would have been able to see trough the mask?

'…_yeah, but it's their job to see through the mask. They can see through lies when they are uttered by strangers, shouldn't have they been able to see through yours?'_ And he just didn't know anymore. Didn't know whether he should regret what he had done, or regret Aiden had been able to save him, whether he should be angry at his friends for letting him down or angry at himself for letting them down, whether he should fight to live or just let himself die slowly. He didn't know anymore and he was just so damn tired… he just wanted to sleep… and the beep slowly faded in the distance as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

&&&

Danny emerged again he didn't know how much later. The beep returned but accompanied by other sounds. There seemed to be things like clothes shifting and voices in the background but he couldn't make out any word. Until…

"_Hey Pretty Boy"_

… Aiden.

"_I would like to stay, but you know how it is, crime never takes holiday. So, I have to go but I'm coming back and I can tell you, you better had woken up when it happen otherwise I'm killing you myself. Seriously, Danny, wake up, we need you around. I need you around. Who is gonna bicker with me otherwise? So… just wake up, please…"_

He felt a kiss on his cheek and he could feel the wetness of her face, understanding she must have cried. His heart clenched. He hadn't wanted to be the cause of such pain. Before he could begin to dwell on this in his clouded mind another voice detached itself from the background.

"_Hello Danny"_

Was that really Sheldon? What was he doing here? Of course, Danny liked the guy, he was really nice, but they had never been close, so he couldn't understand why the legist would stay beside him when he was in hospital. Did Hawkes consider him as a friend? Well, Danny was okay with that, really okay. He would have to go and talk to him once he was awake.

"_I don't we don't know each other really well, but I just wanted you to know that I miss you. We all miss you. You have to come back soon, because it won't be the same without you. So get better and if you ever need anything come to me, okay?"_

'_That's kind, Hawkes. I'll remember next time I feel the urge of seeing my blood flew out of my body.'_

Being sarcastic in his own thought was not really a good sign, pondered Danny. However, he was really grateful for the offer. And he made a mental note to try to get to know the guy better, not only as a co-worker but as a person as well.

A brief moment of silence subsided before another voice made itself heard.

"_Hi, Messer!"_

'Hello, Flack,' Danny answered internally.

"_Are you planning to keep up the Sleeping Beauty act for a long time, because you know Charming Prince are difficult to find these days. I know I could pretend to the title but I'm not sure it would work. Beside I'm not really keen on trying. You'll have to do it all alone, no magic kiss so don't bother waiting. Come on Messer, you can do it and you'd better have succeeded otherwise I may just have to get Mac playing the second role."_

The last part was a whisper, accompanied by a blowing breath in his ear, that he nearly missed.

'Yuk! Thanks for that picture, Flack…. You sure know how to motivate a guy… but maybe I will keep on sleeping, just to see how you manage to do this without being sent to keep me company from my side… On second thought, no… Yuk!'

He heard the sound of steps fading away and knew instinctively that Flack was gone now. Danny briefly wondered who would be the next to talk to him. Maybe Stella?

"_Hey, Danny!"_

Bingo! It was Stella.

"_Well, I didn't catch the last thing Flack told you but maybe you can tell me once you are awake. I'm always curious you know that."_

'Trust me Stella, you don't want to know.'

"_Or maybe not. For him to make sure we wouldn't understand, I'm not sure I really want to know it."_

They really were on the same wavelength, he had to admit it.

"_Anyway, Danny, Aiden passed your message. You didn't want to worry me, huh? Well, guess what, you really did this time. Maybe next time you don't want people to worry about you, you should try not to end up in hospital… or worse. Really, Danny, I don't know what to say. I can't help wondering how can I have been so blind not to see you were hurting. I should have noticed it. I have known you long enough. I'm sorry, Danny, I'm really sorry."_

He felt her fingers move across his forehead, slowly removing his hair off the place and then she pressed a kiss onto the bare flesh.

"_Wake up soon, Danny," _she murmured before leaving.

He heard her whisper something but was unable to make out any meaning. Then there was the sound of a door and he knew she had left. Only the beep of the cardiac monitor was echoing in the room now and Danny felt himself drifting away until his left hand was engulfed into two others.

Everything was still silent and he thought about it. Most of the people he knew had just left, in fact the only person he knew fairly well and that hadn't announce their presence was Mac. But that couldn't be Mac, right.

But it could and it was.

"_Hey Danny. I guess it's too late now to inquire how you are now. I should have done it long ago, shouldn't I?"_

' 'M not sure it would have change anything, to tell the truth boss…. I wouldn't have answered.'

"_I' m sorry I failed you Danny. I shouldn't have dismissed you as I did in my office. You came to me and I didn't listen. You have been trying so hard to make things right between us and you should have succeeded. You would have succeeded if I hadn't been this stubborn."_

'What are you getting at, boss? It wasn't your fault if I did what I did.'

'…_or was it?' _the earlier little voice spoke up once again. Because he had to admit it, it was what hurt the most. Knowing he had no chance to make things right again. Knowing he had lost his boss – and friend – trust, consideration… maybe even friendship.

A squeeze on his hand pulled him out of his track of thoughts.

"_We are good Danny, we are good. I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away but I just was too tired to deal with it. So you have to wake, and then I can tell you face to face…"_

'No need boss, you already told me…'

A last squeeze on his hand and Mac was gone, letting Danny ponder on everything all his friends told him.

&&&

He was on the verge of falling back asleep when he heard a voice he didn't know.

"_You have wonderful friends, Mr. Messer, I hope you know it."_

'Yeah… Now I know.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Aiden, Danny, Stella, Mac and most probably the rest of the team (at least at some extend)

**Pairing**: none (maybe later)

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood and (I think) What You See is What You See. Small spoiler for Trapped, but nothing that give away the plot (as this story happen before, logic, no?)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed... And for Thomas D., the sentence is now corrected, thanks for telling me!

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Chapter 3**_

When Danny finally emerged from his restless state of semi-consciousness, it was already late in the afternoon. The bright light of the sun in which was bathing the room was enough to make him close his eyes as soon as he opened them. He groaned in pain.

Footsteps echoed lightly on the floor and the brightness he was still able to see trough his closed lids seemed to weaken. Feeling freshness on his face, from the lack of sunrays, he tried again to open his eyes, only to dive in bright watery brown eyes that he knew could only belong to one person.

"Hey, Stell'," he whispered, his voice hoarse from the lack of saliva, while trying to sit up a bit.

"Welcome back, Danny…» she murmured, smiling, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Seeing her like this made Danny's heart clench. While still in his almost-sleeping state, he already gathered he had hurt his friend, but looking at the Greek woman before him and see her, usually so strong, on the verge of breaking down only made it more real. Remorse hit him full strength and it was his own tears that began to flow before he could prevent it.

He was so emotionally tired. He was already in a fragile state the afternoon before, when Aiden had found him but after hearing his friends talk to him, and his own internal dialog with was he supposed to be his conscience, he had felt so many different emotions, passed by so many emotional state, that all the things he was feeling were like ten time stronger than normally. He could not control it anymore.

He closed his eyes, trying vainly to regain some composure. He had already worried Stella so much, had made her suffer; it was not fair of him to break down in front of her. He felt the bed shift and, soon, careful arms embraced him, avoiding touching the machinery thread.

"Let it go, Danny. I'm here for you, now," she told him in a low voice.

And he did. With no further thought, he wrapped his arms around the young woman, hid his face in the crook of her neck and just cried. Cried for all the times he didn't since he was a child. His whole body was shaking as sobs took over him.

Stella, with soothing hands, caressed his hair and his back, while whispering comforting non-sense, unsuccessfully attempting to calm him down. Eventually she stopped and just held tightly onto him, waiting fort the sobbing to die away on their own. Her own tears covered now her face and she was doing her best not to let Danny know she was crying to. He didn't need her sorrow on top of his own.

Finally the sobbing stopped but neither of them let go. They just stayed like this, Danny relaxing in Stella's arms, his head now resting peacefully on her shoulder, tears still running on his face but without a noise. The young woman didn't show any sing of wanting to part, she only released a bit her embrace on Messer, making herself more comfortable on the bed at the same time and pushed a kiss on the man's messy hairs.

After what seemed to have been hours, there were forced to part as the nurse entered the room. Needless to say, she wasn't very pleased with the Greek wanted for not having warned any of the medical staff that his friend was awake. But as soon as she saw her red-rimmed eyes and Danny's still wet face, she deflated a bit and cut out her ranting and rapidly checked all of Danny's vital, making sure they were no problem.

"Okay, the doctor will come by in a little while. In the meantime, don't make to much efforts, you're still very weak, Mister Messer. If you need anything, call me.

"Thank you," Stella answered before Danny even got a chance to open his mouth. The nurse nodded and walked away.

Once they were alone again, Danny turned toward Stella, apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said. The words were barely more than a whisper but her friend heard them nevertheless and frowned.

"What are you sorry for?" she asked, clearly not understanding what the young man had to reproach to himself.

"For doing that," he said, nodding toward his bandaged wrist. "For not trying enough, for not being better… for everything," he ended in a small voice that held up all the misery of the world.

"Oh, Danny," Stella sighed, walking to the bed to sit onto it again. She erased the remaining wetness on the pale cheeks with a soft hand. "You've done nothing wrong. We're the one who should be sorry, Danny. Mac, Flack, Aiden and myself, we're the ones who failed you. We're the ones who should apologized."

"But you've already done it, didn't you?" he asked. "I mean, between threats and lousy fairytale's remake, you made me realize you were all there for me."

That made Stella jump slightly. "You heard what we said?" She seemed to find it unbelievable, but it was fairly well know that there were states of consciousness that made it possible for people to hear what was going on around them, even if there weren't totally awake.

Danny nodded slowly, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips when he remembered the various messages his co-workers told him before leaving his bedside that morning. It had really be heart-warming, even when feeling all the sorrow he had caused, he hadn't been able to suppress the almost-cheer the knowledge that his friend cared so much about him had brought.

"Well, I really meant it, you know," Stella informed.

"I know, Stell', I know and I won't forget anymore, I promise."

"Good."

They stayed silent for a while, until Stella began to talk again.

"I'll call the others, let them know you're awake, okay?"

The young man nodded hesitantly. He wanted to see them, really wanted to, but he was so afraid. He didn't know how they would react. They all had wanted him to awake, all made it clear they were friends and loved them, but he didn't know what would happen once they knew he was all right. Would they be mad at him for what he had done? Would they be able to look at him in the eyes, without thinking they were face to face with a fragile little thing they had to handle carefully for fear to break him?

With Stella, it had been so easy. Easy because he didn't had time to think. Easy because he had just broken down and her too and there it had been. All they had needed. It had been a connection and, after that, there were no more questions. But he didn't know how it would go with the others.

"Hey," Stella called, probably guessing what was on his mind. "It's okay. They won't think any less of you and they are not mad. Well, actually, they're mad, but at themselves not at you. I promise."

Danny didn't respond but was grateful to know it. He wasn't still fully convinced, but more confident than before.

"Danny," Stella began carefully. "Do you have any family?"

Danny startled. "What?" She couldn't possibly want to do that, could she? There was no way any member of his family would come here, even if he asked them to and he knew it. "I have an older brother, Louie, yes, but it won't do any good to call him, trust me."

"Why?" Stella asked. "I'm sure he would want to know if you're in hospital, Danny. He's family."

"And it has been more than two years since we last talked to each other. Stella, he doesn't care, I tell you."

The woman didn't answer and didn't push it anymore but if Danny thought she was going to let it go, he was sorely mistaken. For Stella, it was clear enough that Danny's brother had a right to know he was in hospital and she was going to prove to Danny that Louie still cared about him. At least she hoped she would be able to do it.

The door opened again at that time, a doctor entering the room. Apparently, it was time for him to examine Danny and Stella took the hint. She had to leave.

"Anyway, I'm going to call Mac to let him know you're awake." Stella told him. "I'll come back soon, okay."

"Okay. Bye Stell'"

The Greek kissed him on the forehead a last time before leaving the room, heading back to her office. She still had to work today; she had just come to see Danny during her break. At least, she had now good news to tell her colleagues.

When Stella came into the office, she could not wipe the smile out of his face. She was just so relieved to see Danny up and, maybe not well, but better. He was still pale but not deadly white and seemed to be a little more open with his emotions. It was the first steps. If he let them know what was going on in his mind, they could help him going through all of it and prevent him from feeling he didn't have any other choice to relieve the pain than suicide.

Beside, she was relieved to see he regretted what he had done. He wasn't angry with Aiden for saving him, he was angry with himself for doing it. It was a good thing in Stella's mind. It meant that he wasn't likely to do it again.

Finally, she stepped into Mac's office, finding him looking at some files on his desk. When he heard the door, he lifted his eyes to find the smiling face of his colleague. Understanding what that meant, he found himself smiling too.

"He has woken up," Stella said pointlessly.

"How is he?"

"Well, there are still issues that need to be resolved. I think it's going to take a while for everything to be okay again, but I don't think he's going to try to take his life again. He seemed pretty upset to have done it. He actually apologized at me for that. But…"

"But?" Mac encouraged.

"He feels that he's at fault for everything that went wrong. He apologized for not trying enough, for not being better. I didn't ask him what it was about, but I think we both know."

Mac closed his eyes, feeling more tired than he had in years.

"I really failed him, didn't I?"

"No, we failed him, Mac. We are all responsible."

"Strangely, that doesn't make me feel better."

"No, it doesn't. But at least, we have a chance to make it right," Stella stated. "Beside, he already knew we are with him." At Mac's raised eyebrows, she explained. "He heard everything we said to him when we were leaving him this morning."

"He did?"

"Yeah…" She paused for several seconds before remembering another thing. "Mac, do you have any indication of Danny's brother's location in Danny's file?"

"Danny's brother? I don't know. Wait a minute."

He searched in his drawers, not taking long to find the right file. After all, he had it on his desk the day before, when he received his psychic evaluation.

"Here it is," Mac handed. "You think it's a good thing to retrieve his brother."

"I hope so… I certainly hope so." Stella answered before leaving to consult the file, hoping to find a clue on Louie Messer's location.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Chapter 4**

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Danny, Aiden, Stella, Flack, Mac and now Louie Messer

**Pairing**: none (maybe later)

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood, What you See is What you See, minor information from Trapped and Run Silent, Run Deep (regarding background of Danny and his brother's relationship, only)

Thank you for all your kind reviews!

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Chapter 4

Stella was walking along the street of a remote neighborhood in New York, determination shining in her eyes. After hours of research, she had finally been able to find a clue about Danny's brother and was now on her way to his flat. She was clothed casually, not wanting anyone to figure out she was a cop and, for that reason, did not wore her badge.

She quarter Louie lived in was not one of the finest and was mostly inhabited by dealers and gang's members. She feared what she was going to find at that address, but she would do her best to convince Louie Messer that his little brother needed him right now and she would not leave before she made him see the truth. There was no way he would get out of that.

Eventually, Stella arrived at the right building and, although some people were looking at her strangely, she didn't hesitate entering the edifice and climbed rapidly the stairs. She had seen so many infractions in the last ten minutes that she could have been able to make quite a lot of arrest, but that was not the reason she was there for and nothing could distract her from her goal.

When she reached the right door, she rang the bell and waited. It didn't take long before the door opened. She found herself facing a man, in his late thirties. He had dark brown hair and his eyes were dark too. He seemed to be a though guy and, seeing were he came from and were he lived, maybe it was better. Still, she couldn't help wondering if it was just a mask, it was so much like Danny's.

"Yes," he said, clearly wanting to know who she was.

"Hello, my name is Stella Bonasera. I'm here for your brother."

"He's not here," he answered simply.

Stella frowned before admitting that her statement may have been a bit ambiguous.

"I know that. I'm one of your brother's colleagues. I need to talk to you about him. Can I come in?"

Louie stepped back, allowing Stella to come in and closed the door behind her. He normally wouldn't let a stranger enter his flat but he could not help worrying for his brother. He knew that if this woman was there, looking for him, it only meant that Danny had problems. However, he made a point not showing his concern.

"So what mess did my little brother step into this time?" he asked, sarcastically. It was the best way to collect information in a casual way. He was startled by the harsh look he received at his little joke.

"Your brother is in hospital right now. And maybe you should quit the disinterested look because I'm seeing right through it," she bluffed, hoping to God that she wasn't mistaking.

Fortunately the young man didn't seem to see the lie and obeyed. He proposed a seat to Stella, who took it without hesitating and asked what happened.

"I really don't know how to tell you this but your brother attempted suicide."

"What," he exclaimed. "But w-"

She held up a hand, motioning him to be silent.

"He's life is not in danger anymore and he awakened yesterday afternoon. Nonetheless, I thought it would be good for him to have his family with him. Since he mentioned you." She didn't have the time to finish his sentence; he interrupted her.

"You did well. I—I can't believe he did that. Why?"

Stella sighed sadly. If only she knew the answer. She just shook her head, responding without any word.

Louie didn't care for the answer anyway. Not right now. The only important thing was that his little brother tried to end his life.

"Will you go to the hospital?" asked Stella. She wasn't going to take no for an answer anyway but she would rather not have to force him. It would not do any good if he were not there of his own free will.

"Of course! Of course, I'll go."

* * *

It was almost noon when Flack entered the hospital, coming to see Danny for the first time since his awakening. He would have loved to come sooner but he had been on a case and could not afford any break before now. He just finished his shift and hadn't even had time to go home. He could do it later.

"Hey, Man!" he called cheerfully, once in the right room.

Danny lifted his eyes from the book Aiden had dropped by earlier that day and managed a smile at his best friend.

"Hullo, Flack! Still alive?"

Flack frowned. He knew he had not been here as much as he should have but Danny, better that anyone, should know what his job was like. Why the hell did accuse him?

Somewhat, what he was thinking must have showed on his face because Danny immediately explained himself.

"I was not meaning it that way, Flack. I take it Stella didn't told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Oh… that I was perfectly aware of what you were saying when I was asleep. And by the way, you have a very sick mind, I hope you know it."

Flack's jaw dropped, taking in what his friend was saying. That was not good, really not good.

"Tell me you didn't tell anyone. Please Danny," Don pleaded, looking positively green at the thought that the little joke he had made could make his way to his other colleagues' ears.

"Well," Danny feigned thinking about it, as if he didn't remember. However, when he saw his friend ready to strangle him, he just smiled. "Of course, not. Still, would be quite a show if I did"

"But you won't, will you?" Flack asked with puppy eyes.

Danny shook silently his eyes. He marveled about how easy it was to act with Flack to act as if nothing had happened. They had fallen in their usual way of hanging around and joking around with each other as if he was not in a hospital bed. It was so freshening and he mentally thanked the young policeman. Not out loud, because if would have mean deal with the issue he had dealt with all day long, but he felt it nevertheless.

"So, how was your day?" Flack asked casually.

"Well… not so exciting. Stella passed by in the morning but didn't stay long. Said she had something she had to do. Then Mac said 'hello' but was called away as soon as came. Did say he wanted us to talk yet, so I suppose he's gonna crash here when he finishes working."

"Does he ever finish?" Don interrupted.

Danny simply shrugged. "And Aiden passed by and brought me a book. Told me she thought I would be bored. Can you actually believe she gave me _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_? How the hell am I supposed to understand anything? I never got around reading the others! And it's not that fun," Danny finished, growling.

Flack just could not help. He was roaring with laughers.

"She gave you _Harry Potter_? Does she know you're not twelve?" He just had time to finish his sentence that he was laughing again. The look on Danny's face was just too much.

"She said she didn't want me to be reminded of the job while I was here and that it was the only book she had that was not a thriller so…"

Flack shook his head slightly. Only Aiden.

"So, you gonna stand here all day?" Danny asked, seeing that Don didn't seem to be decided to take a seat.

"What? Oh, no," he sat up on the chair by Danny's bed and they continued to chat for hours before Flack went back home, letting Danny face to face with the famous little wizard.

* * *

Louie was standing, still, just outside his brother's hospital room, watching silently Danny through the glass window. It had been years since he last saw his little brother and, event if he hadn't changed that much during the last few years, the circumstances were special and it made all the difference.

Danny was asleep for the moment being. Louie had waited for the night to fall before heading to the hospital. He did not know why. Maybe it was the fear of facing the younger man. Their relationship had been strained since long ago and he wasn't sure Danny would accept his coming back.

When he had decided to push Danny away from him, away from Tanglewod, that night, he thought he had taken the right decision. It was the only way to protect the youngest Messer he had been able to think of at the time. However, seeing him like this, Louie could not help doubting his choice. He should have told his little brother the reason of his actions long ago. He didn't have to wait for almost fifteen years.

Snapping out of his memories, he redirected his attention on his sleeping brother. He was so pale, seemed so tired, so much younger that he really was, it clenched Louie's heart. It was his baby brother, it was his duty to protect him and he had failed. Failed to be there for him when he had needed Louie. He was not going to make the same mistake twice.

Tears gathering into his eyes, he silently entered the room.

He walked up to the bed Danny was laying in. The whiteness of the sheets beneath and above him only made him so much paler than he really was. Without a word, he sat up on the edge and brushed a hand on the forehead of his brother, letting his hand down his cheek. The simple touch was enough to wake Danny up. He blinked several times, his eyes slowly regaining their focus.

When Danny finally made out his older brother's features, he thought he was still asleep, still dreaming. He wanted so much to believe it was true, to believe Louie was really there, caring for him.

"Louie," he whispered, afraid that saying it too loud would simply break the spell and make reality come back.

"Hey, lil' bro'," Louie answered, almost surprised by how easy it was for him to act as they were kids again. Memories of the time he had been sixteen flew back to him. He had awaited the awakening of his little brother after a surgery. They had both pronounced the exact same words.

"You really here?" Danny, almost afraid, asked.

"Yeah… I'm here. But go back to sleep, it's late. I'll stay with you. I'll be here when you awake."

"You promise?"

"I promise…"

Without even having totally regained consciousness, Danny slid back into a peaceful sleep, feeling safer that he had in ages, even if he wasn't entirely aware his brother's protective presence.

Once he was sure his brother was fast asleep, Louie allowed himself to take the chair beside the bed, letting his mind wander into memories of the past, drifting slowly in a sleep full of dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Chapter 5**

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Danny, Aiden, Stella, Flack, Mac and now Louie Messer

**Pairing**: none

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood, What you See is What you See, minor information from Trapped and Run Silent, Run Deep (regarding background of Danny and his brother's relationship, only)

**P.S.:** if you want to see the banner I made for this fic, just go to my lj (my homepage), it must be on the first page I think.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

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Chapter 5

Waking up slowly, Danny didn't remember the events of the night before at first. Everything was still a bit fuzzy in his mind but, gradually, memories came back. It seemed so surreal, he could not possibly believe it was anything more than a dream but, at the moment he sat up, he was greeted by the view of Louie who was sleeping on the chair beside his bed, sitting in a more than awkward position.

Mixed feeling welled up into Danny's chest. During the night, he had never totally awakened, he had been out and in a vulnerable state of mind. He had been so glad to see his older brother, so glad to feel him around that he had just accepted his presence and begged him to stay. However now… now, it was different.

Of course, he loved his brother, had always had and probably always would. He would have been so happy to see him there, with him, if he could have believed only for a second that Louie was there because he had wanted to be. But, it was not fair for Danny that the older man was there because he had been forced to. By what, he didn't know. A feeling of obligation, because he was the big brother and it was his duty? Because Stella threatened him, maybe blackmailed him? And then, when Danny would be out of hospital, what was going to happen? Louie would vanish from his life once again and the younger man would be alone._ 'Why Stella? Why did you do this to me?'_

As if on a clue, it was the time Louie chose to stir, coming out of his sleep. Danny, too preoccupied by his dark track of thoughts didn't notice it before it was too late for him to pretend to be asleep.

Once he was totally awake, Louie immediately saw his brother sitting on his bed, looking to him. A smile appeared on his face, surprising Danny by its apparent sincerity. However, he knew his brother could very well be playing an act. He kept his eyes on Louie as the latter got up and walked to his bed, unconsciously repeating the same moves as the night before and sitting down on the edge.

"'Morning Danny. How you feeling?" he asked, caringly.

"Why are you here?" Danny inquired, his voice cool and controlled, even though his heart was beginning to beat faster and anger boiled up inside him. Why did his brother have to be so good at pretending?

This fury only grew, as Louie seemed genuinely taken aback by the question.

"What do you mean 'why I'm here?' You're in hospital, don't you think it's enough reason for me to be with you?" Louie didn't dare telling him he knew why Danny was there first place. He knew his brother well enough to know it would not be a good idea at that point. But later, they would have to talk about it. There was no way he was going to let the younger man go away with it without explanation.

Louie, however, didn't have time to think about it for too long, a sudden outburst from his brother startling him.

"What the hell are you playing at, Louie? You never cared about me and you sure don't now!" he yelled.

He was beginning to get agitated and Louie, wanting to calm him down, put a hand on his arm, but Danny violently brushed it off.

"I'm not"

"What did Stella tell you to make you come? Did she have anything on you that could mean you getting to jail? Did she have blackmail material?"

As Danny continued to rant, while almost hitting him, Louie feared that he would hurt himself and did the only thing he could think of. He took his brother into his arms, in such a way it would be impossible for the younger to shy away. Danny tried to resist, nonetheless, tried to back off, but the embrace was too tight, too strong and he didn't have the strength.

"I care Danny, it's the true, I care. I always cared about you. Let me explain, please. I love you," Louie whispered, trying to soothe the angered man in his arms. He wasn't lying though. It was not only meaningless words to calm the other man; it was the plain truth. Now, he only hoped Danny would have the heart to believe him.

Apparently he did. Or he wanted to because as soon as the three words escaped Louie's lip he stilled completely, stopping fighting. He just stayed unmoving, breathing hard because of the efforts he had just made attempting to push his brother away.

"I don't understand," he whispered.

"I know, lil' bro', I know. But give me chance to explain, it's all I'm asking for. Will you give me that chance?" Louie pleaded, hoping to god he would.

Danny nodded slowly and was finally allowed to part from the older Messer who, nonetheless, kept him at arm's length, not wanting to let him go totally.

"So," asked Danny. "Explain it to me, because I don't understand. How? How could you do that to me if you really cared about me? If you really loved me?"

"Love."

"What?"

"Love, not loved."

Not able to suppress it, a tiny smile came onto Danny's lips, even if it didn't last long.

----

Stella entered the lab Mac was working in. The man was obviously busy with a piece of evidence. He was looking at some fiber found on the crime scene through a microscope. As soon as she approached, he looked up at her and nodded.

"Mac, what are you doing?"

"Looking at the fiber we found on the vic's carpet. There is a substance on it…. A kind of poison but it's not a match with anything I know. I think it must be some mix, but I have to run mo."

Stella just hit the table with her hand, making him jump.

"It was not what I meant and you know it very well Mac. I'm talking about Danny? Why in hell didn't you go to see him, yet?"

"I did!" he tried to defend himself, knowing deep down that his colleague was right and that he had to talk with the younger agent. And better sooner than later. He just could not bring himself to do it. "I went but I was called so I could not stay."

"That was more than twenty-four hours ago, Mac. You can't avoid him forever. You're the only one who has not discussed with him, yet. He needs his friends and you know it very well so why are you doing that?"

"I don't suppose you're going to let it go until I went to the hospital, are you?"

The woman shook her head in determination.

"Absolutely not."

Mac sighed, knowing there was no way he could win this fight. When Stella had something in her head, it was difficult to make her change her mind… and more so when she was right and knew it. He would have to go to see Danny if he wanted her to let him alone.

"Can I at least finish to run the tests for the poisons?"

"I'll do it," Stella said, already putting a hand at work, letting no chance to Mac to avoid the younger man any longer. "Now, go and don't make me call Flack to make sure you really go there."

Throwing up his hand in defeat, Mac let the evidence to Stella and excited the laboratory. He didn't have any more choice but he still didn't know what the hell he was going to say to Danny. Of course, they had to talk, and he knew that, he even said so to the patient, but that didn't make it any easier to find the right words and to explain his attitude to Danny. Hell, he could not even explain his attitude to himself? Yeah, Danny had messed up big time in the past months, but he was trying, trying his best to make up and he did. Mac was the one to mess up that time and it was hard to admit.

Anyway, he would have to and, maybe, Danny would be more forgiving than him.

----

Danny, alone again, mused on what his brother revealed. He simply could not believe it. How could he have been so blind? How could he have not seen the reason behind his brother's action?

Of course, at the time he had been young and stupid, like every teenager. So when his brother had pushed him away, he hadn't tried to look at it closely and find a reason. He had simply believed everything that Louie had said on the parking. Maybe, maybe if he had thought about it, he would have realized that the elder's attitude had been in totally opposition with his usual behavior.

They had always been so close in the past, because they could only rely on each other. Their parents weren't the best in the world and neither of the two kids could go to them when something was wrong so they bound had been stronger than were most brothers'. So why the hell didn't he see that Louie's speech that night was wrong?

Almost fifteen years. They had lost almost fifteen years. It was sad. But now, now was the opportunity of making up for all that time and neither Danny nor Louie were going to miss it. That was for sure.

Danny was brought out of his musing by a light knock at the door. Looking up, he saw Mac standing in the doorway and waved him, motioning him to enter and come to him. He knew that his boss was going to come by, they had to talk, but he wasn't sure when. Apparently, time had come and Danny wasn't sure if it was normal he was feeling so tense.

"Hey, Mac! How's the case going?"

"The case?" Mac frowned, obviously unaware of what Danny was talking about.

"The one you were called on yesterday morning," the younger man précised.

"Oh! Hum… it's difficult. Poisoned gunshot. Some poison's drops felt on the carpet but it appears that it's a mix of several different existing poison. Stella's running some tests to try to find out which ones."

Danny just nodded, not commenting on the fact that he found it strange for Mac to be here before the case had been solved. Anyway, it wasn't his place to make a commentary on his boss' actions. Mac knew what he was doing.

"Anyway, I'm not here to discuss work."

"Yeah… I guessed that much," Danny admitted.

They both fell into an uncomfortable silence. The younger man was trying to look anywhere but his boss's face. Of course, he knew what Mac wanted to discuss and it wasn't exactly the most joyful topic. He finally cracked up and broke the silence.

"You do know it wasn't your fault, right?" he asked, remembering the speech Mac gave him when he was still in his comatose state. When he saw Mac looking at him, seeming startled, he felt the urge to explain himself. "I mean, you seemed to think so when you talked to me… well, kinda talked to me since I was a bit out. So, anyway, just wanted to say it, don't want you to feel guilty for that."

His voice faded in a whisper, realizing that he was babbling. He just stared at Mac, silently, seeing him agape. Then, his face was broken with a sad smile and saddened eyes and Danny was so surprised to see him show so many emotions that he simply could not tear his eyes apart from his boss.

"Can you really tell me that what I did, what I said, had no influence on what you did, Danny? Can you really look at me in the eyes and tell me that?" he asked.

But that, Danny could not do. How could he look at a man he respected more than anyone else and lie to him. Because, if he was honest to himself, of course Mac had a part of responsibility. He was not fully responsible, but added to everything else, the conversation in Mac's office had just been the last stroke.

Danny's silence was enough to tell Mac he had seen right and he accused the blow. He already knew his culpability but it hurt him nonetheless to have confirmation. He simply looked down to his shoes, not knowing what to do. What came naturally was to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Danny, I should have."

He was cut short when Danny fished for his hand and took it in his. The ex-Marine looked at him and saw Danny's eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Don't Mac. You had every right to be mad at me. Hell, I messed up so many times, I'm surprised you didn't fire me long ago. No, let me continue," he held up the hand that wasn't occupied. "I don't blame you for being reluctant to forgive me what I did and, quite frankly, I can understand your statement when I was in your office. Yes, it hurt like hell knowing that, maybe, we would not be okay, but I understood. And I don't want you to forgive me just because of what I did. Mac, if you really think we're okay and that you already thought that before I was in hospital, I want you to tell me. But for my sack, don't tell it just out of some misplaced guilt."

Mac listened attentively what the younger man had to say and absorbed every words of it. He was relieved and at the same time surprised that Danny was so ready to forgive him. When it came to the crucial point and that Danny asked him, indirectly, the question he knew was coming, he didn't have to think about it, he already had the answer, had it since Danny stepped out of his office that day.

Slowly, he slid his hand out of Danny's before repeating the same gesture he made when his friend hadn't awakened yet. As he had Danny's hand in both his, he looked a the man, straight into his eyes before murmuring the words Danny had wanted to hear for so long.

"We're okay, Danny, we're okay."


	6. Chapter 6

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Chapter 5**

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Danny, Aiden, Stella, Flack, Mac, Hawkes and Louie Messer

**Pairing**: none

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood, What you See is What you See, minor information from Trapped and Run Silent, Run Deep (regarding background of Danny and his brother's relationship, only)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

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_**Chapter 6**_

"Come on, Louie, I don't need a babysitter!" Danny whined as his older brother set down a suitcase on his flat's floor.

"Sorry, lil' bro', but the condition they let you out so soon was to have someone looking after you. And, anyway, I had already decided I was gonna stay with you for some time. After all, we have what? Fifteen years to make up for!"

Danny sighed in defeat and sat down heavily on his couch. He sure was happy to have his brother back; it didn't mean he wanted to _live_ with him. Beside he was old enough to be on his own, he had been for so long then. However, it didn't seem to be what Louie was thinking… or the medical staff by the way. It was upsetting.

"You know, Danny, you'll have to get up if you want me to be able to sleep."

It was true that it was already late, late enough for both men to be tired. They had spent the whole day in hospital; Danny had to be examined again by his doctor and go to talk to a psych, who was trying to determine if he was fit to be released, and Louie had been visiting. So then, the two brothers just wanted to crawl in bed.

"Not gonna let you take the couch, take the spare-room," Danny said, indicating sleepily a room with his arm.

Louie turned his head to look at the direction Danny was pointing and smiled.

"Thanks"

Danny dismissed the word and held out both his hand to his brother. The latter only smiled at the childish behaviour but took the stretched hands in his nonetheless and pulled his brother, helping him up. Without a word, he accompanied him to his own bedroom and helped him in.

"You do realize that I'm not ten anymore, right?" Danny asked as he was tucked into his bed.

"Maybe, but you're still my baby brother. Now sleep," Louie finished, kissing a bewildered Danny on the forehead. He was already in the doorframe when his brother recovered his speaking skills.

"You just called me 'baby brother'?" he asked in a low voice, where surprise, touch and amusement were all mixed together.

"Yep! Good night!"

Louie turned off the light and closed the door before his brother could think of a reply. Staying alone in his room, Danny made a face.

"'M gonna kill… tomorrow." he whispered, before falling asleep, exhausted.

* * *

It was around five when Danny woke up, feeling refreshed and not in the last bit tired. He didn't want to stay in bed anymore and just wanted to take some fresh air. He put on some clothes and entered the living room. There wasn't any trace of his brother's presence, which was only natural seeing that it was very early and that Louie must have been still fast asleep.

Not wanting to wake him up, Danny tiptoed to the front door, caught his keys and left without making any noise. He would just go for a walk and be back before Louie woke up. Nobody had to know about this little escape.

Putting a feet outside, Danny breathed in deeply. It was good to be out at this time of the day. It was the beginning of summer and the air was fresh but not cool. It made him feel better… alive. Deciding what to do, Danny smiled slightly to himself and began to walk. It was time for him to hold on the promise he had made to himself while he was still in a comatose state and head to the labs.

He decided to go there by foot, wanting to clear his mind, and made his way to his work place, various thoughts crossing his head while he walked. He did not even realize he was already there before he went through the entrance.

He slipped into the shadow, not wanting to be seen, before arriving into the morgue. As he had hoped, Hawkes was there, and alone. Apparently the ME was early, which was not surprising, Hawkes had always been a hard worker.

"Hi!" Danny greeted, entering the room, making his colleague jump about three feet high. "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

"Nothing, it's nothing," Hawkes dismissed, taking his breath back. "Danny! What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't be back to work before a week at least."

"I'm not. I just wanted to see you," he explained, hoping he didn't make a mistake by coming there. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"What? No! No, of course! Don't worry. I'm not even supposed to be here now. You want to go to the break room?" Sheldon hurrily asked, not wanting Danny to feel unwelcomed.

"Actually, I would rather stay here. Don't want to see the others."

Hawkes just nodded, understandingly. Or almost understandingly, why the hell would Danny want to talk to him and not to his real friend? Even if he appreciated the young CSI, he had to admit they didn't have a lot of interaction, whether at work or outside. Anyway, he wasn't going to complain, he was happy to be there for him.

"Okay, take a seat. Just going to wash my hands. So, what did you want to talk about," Hawkes continued as Danny nodded in comprehension.

"I wanted to thank you." Danny stopped when he saw Sheldon turning his head to him, eyebrows raised. He cleared his throat before explaining himself. "To come while in hospital. Wasn't awake at the time but I still wanted to thank you. What you said… that was really nice. Made me realize we didn't really have a relationship. We barely know each other, so I thought we could try to…"

"Yeah… I would like to, yes," Sheldon smiled, understanding what Danny was trying, a bit clumsily it was true, to say.

"Cool!"

They discussed for a while up to the moment people began to show. Fortunately for Danny, none of them knew why Danny was on sick leave so nobody would mother him.

"I'm sorry, Danny," Sheldon apologized softly. "But I have to…"

"Don't worry, I'll see you another day. Bye."

It was only when he reached the door that he remembered to tell Hawkes a last thing.

"Hum… if could just not tell anyone I was there, I would be grateful, please…"

Hawkes nodded and smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Danny's flat, Louie emerged from a restful sleep. He was feeling less tired than the day before and was hoping it was the case for Danny too. He hopped down the bed and, seeing no one in the living room, assumed that his brother was still asleep. He decided to take a showed before making breakfast.

Once he was showered, refreshed and ready to face the day, he made a quick breakfast and, seeing the time, he thought it would be better to wake Danny up. He had sleep enough and needed to regain his strength, which he could not do if he spent his time sleeping.

He knocked lightly at the door, respecting the other man's privacy but, when he did not receive any response, he frowned. He knew his brother well enough to know he was a not a heavy sleeper and should have woken up at the sound he had made. Hoping everything was fine, he opened the door and, with stupor, realized nobody was inside.

Once the surprise faded, he felt anger boiling up. What the hell did Danny think he was doing? He should not go out alone at the moment, it was one of the conditions the medical staff had set, and moreover, he should have told him. Didn't the younger Messer realize that he could worry Louie by leaving the house without even a warning?

Trying to contain the irritation, Louie sat down on the couch and waited patiently that Danny came back. And when his little brother would come back, he would have some very well chosen words to tell him.

* * *

Once he had left the office, Danny decided to walk some more and it was only around one hour later that he realized it was late, very late.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed, startling people around him and receiving a glare from an old lady who was walking just beside him.

He began to run in direction of his flat, maybe overdoing it just a bit. He had to stop long before he arrived, feeling his legs becoming cotton. He sat down for a while, anxiety beginning to rise. Danny made an attempt to find his cell phone but soon understood he had let him home. Louie was going to kill him.

As soon as he felt he could walk again without falling down, he resumed his way and, in almost no time, was outside his front door, hesitating, feeling nervous. He knew his brother would be angry with him. He should have at least let a note, or taken his phone to call him as soon as he realized how late it was.

However he didn't thing of that before and then he was sure he had made Louie worried. What the hell was he going to say when Louie demanded an explanation? He had no idea and he knew he was not going to get away that easily. That was for sure.

Taking in a deep breath, he turned his keys in the keyhole and opened the door. He tiptoed inside, trying to make the least noise possible, but knowing it would not do any good. After all, he was certain Louie was already up so he must have realized Danny was out. And he was absolutely right.

As soon as he reached the living room, he saw his brother sitting down on the couch, seeming calm. He knew it was not the case, and that was confirmed when Louie did not turn around when he heard him.

"Louie," Danny asked tentatively.

Finally, the older Messer turned around and got up, facing Danny. His face was closed and did not show any emotion. However, fury could be perceived in his aura.

"Hello, Danny. Where were you?" Louie asked him in a cool voice. He just could not shake off the feeling of fear he had felt when his little brother had not show up after nine.

"I… I just wanted to take some fresh air. I.. I went to the office to talk to a friend of mine. I'm so sorry, Louie, I didn't realize I was that late."

"Do you realize how worried I was? You took off, without as much as a note or a phone call, and don't show after _hours_."

"I'm sorry, okay!" Danny exclaimed, beginning to get angry himself. He knew he should not have done what he had but he was not a child, Louie did not have to scold him as if he was an angry parent face to face with his teenage son. Danny was a fucking adult for God's sake. "But I'm not a child. So shut up. You weren't here for me when I needed it, I don't even know you-"

_ SLAP >_

Danny stood still, in shock, eyes locked with his brother's, tingling beginning to appear in his cheek, where Louie just slapped him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Chapter 7**

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Danny, Aiden, Stella, Flack, Mac, Hawkes and Louie Messer

**Pairing**: none

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood, What you See is What you See, minor information from Trapped and Run Silent, Run Deep (regarding background of Danny and his brother's relationship, only)

Author's note: Sorry if I'm taking so long to update, but I have so many thing to do at the moment I just can't seem to find the time to write. Anyway, this story has only two or three more chapters before it ends and, for those who are reading "Atlantean Dream" I should publish the next chapter during the week.

* * *

**_Chapter 7 _**

_Danny stood still, in shock, eyes locked with his brother's, tingling beginning to appear in his cheek, where Louie just slapped him._

Bewilderment ran through him, soon replaced by fear. He knew it was stupid but he could not help the feeling of intense panic that took over him. It was as if he was a teenager again and, added up to everything that happened these past months, making his past come back, it was that slap that made him swap into his teens years again, faced to his father after he had done something bad… or something period for that matter.

Louie was boiling with rage, maybe because he had to admit what his little brother had said was true. Nonetheless, he truly intended of giving Danny a hell of a lecture but, as he was going to start yelling, a look at his brother's face stopped him dead.

Fear.

Louie could not believe this. His baby brother was afraid of him? But soon everything made sense. As soon as he calmed down enough to think back about what he had just done, he could not help the guilt to creep up into him. How could he have hit Danny? After everything they had lived through when they were still living with their parents, how could he have done that?

Louie breathed deeply before taking a step forward. Instinctively, Danny backed down up to the point he was back to the wall. The younger Messer closed his eyes, preparing himself for the blow he thought was coming. He was imagining his father, instead of his brother, was in front of him. And as much as his father had slapped him, he would never stop there. There were always blows following.

Seeing his younger brother's reaction, Louie felt a pang of guilt. Okay, so now he had to be careful.

"Danny," he said calmly, trying to make his brother focus on the present and not on the past. "Danny, open your eyes, please. It's me, Louie, not dad. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I'm sorry I should not have done that."

Louie could see Danny's reaction to his words and was able to tell he was reaching his little brother, even through the mist of his thoughts.

"Come on, open your baby blue eyes for me."

Eventually, Danny's eyes flickered open and focused on the worried and apologetic face of his older brother.

"I'm sorry, Louie, I should have warned you I was going out," Danny whispered, fearing to anger Louie again.

"Don't worry about it, lil' bro', I'm the one who exaggerated. What do you say we just forget what happened, huh?"

Danny just nodded and tentatively took a step toward his brother. The latter swung an arm around the younger man's shoulders and led his to the kitchen.

"Come on, we're gonna eat something. You must be hungry after such a long walk, mustn't you?"

Danny smiled sheepishly and took a seat in front of his brother.

"So?"

"So, what?" Danny asked.

"Well… you're not gonna tell me what you did?" Louie raised his eyebrows. "I wanna know what was so important for you to take off so quickly, with not even a back thought for how worried I would be?"

Seeing the comic face his brother was putting on, Danny could not help bursting into laughers. Soon the older man joined him and it took them all five minutes to get a hold of themselves again.

"Sorry, Lou', I know it was not supposed to be that funny but… I just needed that."

"Yeah… that's a fact. But I still would like to know what you did!"

Danny related briefly his encounter with Hawkes and he could tell just by the look on Louie's face that the oldest Messer already liked the legist. It was warming Danny to see that his brother and he were going to take a new start with they relationship, and that this time love and care would be a great part of it.

"Well, at least you did not try to work. I was worried you would."

"Oh! You didn't have to be, trust me," Danny laughed. "With Mac there, I don't think I would have stand a chance. He would have brought me back here handcuffed if he had to."

"Yeah…. You seem close, don't you?"

Danny blinked before putting down his orange juice glass.

"What do you mean? Yeah… we're closed. He's a good friend. Why?"

"I saw you in hospital. I did not want to intrude, it seemed really personal."

"It was a long overdue conversation. We had many issues we had to solve, but now it's okay." It seemed to Danny that Louie was scrutinizing him, trying to see if it was a lie. Apparently, he was pleased with what he saw and just changed the topic of the conversation, much to Danny's relief.

* * *

"So, Stella, what information do we have on this poison?" Mac asked his coworker, entering the lab.

The Greek woman had apparently decided to take in charge the analysis Mac had begun when she had sent him to the hospital. So from then on, they were working together on that case.

"Well, let's just say that the one who made this wanted to be sure that no matter where the bullet touched his victim, they would be dead. It's lethal and, once in the victim's blood, it is nearly impossible to save them, unless you have the counter poison ready. It's also a poison that disappear very quickly once the victim is dead, so we don't have any trace of it into our database," she explained rapidly.

Mac took in all the information and tried to process them. It was strange, to say the least. However, that case had bugged him since start. They would have to dig profoundly to find the murderer of that poor guy. But they would do it, they almost always did.

"Well, I think we will have to find who bought every of these different poisons to go back to our killer."

* * *

"I'm bored," Danny complained to his brother who seemed ready to explode.

Louie opened the mouth but, before he even had a chance to, the bell rang. He sighed mentally. If he were lucky, it would be one of Danny's friends that could keep him entertained for some time. He did not know how much longer he could deal with a little brother who could not stay still for five minutes without getting bored… and there was only so much they could do or talk about.

"Gonna get this," Danny exclaimed, getting up and heading to the door.

Once he had opened it, the CSI came face to face with his best friend, Don Flack.

"Flack! Good to see you man! Come in!"

The detective obeyed and, soon, was sitting down onto the couch, beside Louie Messer and slowly understanding that Danny had no intention of introducing them so he extended his hand to the man.

"I'm Detective Don Flack, but everyone call me Flack," he presented himself.

Louie shook his hand. "Louie Messer, but it would be better to just use my first name, avoid confusion."

Flack nodded before turning toward Danny.

"So, wotcha doing?"

"Nothing at all since, apparently, my brother has decided to slowly torture me. Did you know that torture by boredom is the worst?"

Louie finally accepted that Danny must have set up a goal: making him crazy. Why did he accept to play babysitter, as his younger brother had put it before, again? _Because you decided that after fifteen years it was time to bound family's ties again,_ a little voice in his head told him. And after that afternoon with Danny, the fact that an unknown voice was talking to him did not even make him question his sanity. It was long gone.

"The doctor said you had to rest, Daniel," Louie calmly explained. "And after your _little_ walk this morning, you're lucky enough I don't force you to go to sleep."

The fact that Louie used Danny's first name was not usual and Danny knew the only times he was doing it was when he was deadly serious, so he chose not to continue to harass the older Messer for an occupation but, instead, just resumed calmly the conversation.

"I already apologized," he said softly.

"I know, I know," Louie dismissed. "Doesn't mean you did not do it. And after so long in hospital, it was too much at the same time, so now you should rest and that's why I don't want to entertain you too much."

Danny pouted and Flack simply could not help smiling. He enjoyed hearing the brotherly conversation. He was so glad Danny had finally someone to take care of him. Of course, Flack had always been there for the CSI, but it was not the same. They were friends, they were two guys, and that just meant they could not openly talk about feelings and care and pour their heart down whenever they felt the need. Two male friends never did that.

With Louie, Flack knew it could be different. It was not friendship, it was family. And all that mattered with family was the well-being of the others.

However, after that little introspection, Flack seemed to finally process the information Louie had just let out. A walk?

"A walk?" Flack asked out.

Danny looked shyly at his brother, pleading him silently not to tell Don but, apparently, Louie did not agree with him and informed the detective of his little brother whereabouts of the morning.

"You went to the office!" Don exclaimed, surprise. "Are you totally crazy! If Mac had seen you, he would have had a fit!"

"Hey! I was careful! Nobody saw me… well, nobody who knew I wasn't supposed to be here anyway. I just went to talk to Hawkes. And he promised me he would not tell I was there. And you're gonna do the same!"

"What?"

"Oh yeah! You're gonna promise me you're not telling anyone I was there this morning!"

"I can't lie to them! They can tell when people are lying, it's their job"

"Well, I'm not exactly asking you to lie. They have no reason of asking, so you just have to shut up."

Flack sighed but promised nonetheless.

Relieved, Danny smiled broadly before remembering something.

"So, did Mac and Stella already solved their case?" he asked curiously.

Don shook his head negatively. "Nope, they can't find evidence of who did it. But man, these guys sure wanted the victim dead. The toxicology report listed no less than twelve products in the composition of the poison in which the bullet was coated."

Louie startled, almost imperceptibly, when he heard that. Fortunately, Don and Danny did not seem to notice and continued to chat. However, the older Messer did not listen anymore. A chill ran through him. Bullets coated in poison? It was something he knew… something he knew only too well….


	8. Chapter 8

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Chapter 8**

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Danny, Aiden, Stella, Flack, Mac, Hawkes and Louie Messer

**Pairing**: none

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood, What you See is What you See, minor information from Trapped and Run Silent, Run Deep (regarding background of Danny and his brother's relationship, only)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and for Dybdahl, error corrected! Thanks for telling me!

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

Louie was lying on his bed, or more so the bed in his brother's spare room. He simply could not find sleep, his mind always taking him back to the case Danny's coworkers were apparently working on at the moment. He did not know what to do.

He was almost certain he knew who was guilty of the crime. Of course, there still was a possibility he could be wrong but, really, how many people just coated their bullets in poison? Or actually, a mix of several kinds of poison? There could not be that many.

Maybe he should tell Danny what he thought but, if he were wrong, then both he and Danny would have problems. And he did not want to get his little brother into mess; he had already done it enough time when they were teenagers. Beside, Danny was actually aware of this method so, if he really thought it was important for the case, he would himself tell the others CSI, wouldn't he?

Yeah… he would do it without an eye blink, so Louie decided he was just worrying too much. Apparently his imagination was in overdrive and he had to stop thinking about that. It was not his job and he could not do anything about it.

On this last thought, Louie just rolled over and closed his eyes, deciding it was high time for him to go to sleep if he wanted to survive the following day with his brother, who would most probably bouncing off the walls again, begging Louie for doing something.

Unfortunately, fate did not seem to agree with him and he was startled by a soft knocking sound at the door… the bedroom door. So, there was only one person who could be his visitor, but what the hell was Danny doing out of bed at, he glanced at the clock, three in the morning.

Nonetheless, he called for his little brother to come in, which the younger man did obligingly. When the door opened, Louie's eyes fell on Danny's shape, which stayed standing in the doorframe. He apparently had not lit the light in the hallway and only the pale shining of the moon made Louie able to see him.

"Danny?" he asked, worried to see his little brother's paleness, only reinforced by the moonlight. "What's up?"

Danny shifted from one foot to another, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I had… it's nothing, really Louie," he answered eventually. "I'm sorry, I was just being stupid, anyway… I'm going back to bed," he babbled before turning for leaving the room.

"Danny! Wait!" Louie exclaimed. "Come here," he said, once Danny was looking at him again, and motioning for him to come at his side.

While Danny walked to the bed, Louie sat up rapidly, shifting slightly to the left side of the bed, implicitly telling his younger brother to sit down beside him. Danny took the clue and propped himself on the bed.

"So, Danny, what happened?" Louie asked again, clearly wanting an answer this time.

Danny looked down at his hand, which were resting on his knees, and mumbled.

"I had a nightmare. It's stupid, I know," he continue rapidly, not wanting to let to his brother the time to comment on his childishness. "I wasn't completely awake and still into the middle of the dream and I remembered you were there so I…" he trailed down, not knowing what to say anymore.

"So you reacted the same way you did when we were kids," Louie finished for him, unable to suppress the happiness of that thought. Of course, he was not happy his little brother had had a nightmare because, quite frankly, he would have liked for him to be able to catch some sleep, but the knowledge Danny instinctively came to him, as he did before all this mess with Sonny Sassone happened, was warming him up.

Danny only nodded, ashamed by his weakness.

"Well, I did told you to come to me whenever you had a nightmare, didn't I?" Louie asked.

Danny looked up at him, incredulously. "I was five!" he exclaimed.

Louie smiled. Yes, he remembered that Danny had been five the time he had told him that. It was during the winter when their dad had been fired from his job. Well, the first time he had been fired anyway, and needless to say he had not been very happy about it. He had been very…violent. He had not hit his children, no, but had been yelling and screaming, and he did slap their mother more than once. So when Danny had had a nightmare this one night, he had restrained himself for calling their mom. Usually he would only scream for her but he had been so afraid his father would get mad that he had shut up. However, he had been so scared he had not wanted to stay alone and had done the only thing he could think of at the time, namely run to his older brother. Louie had not said anything; he had just taken his brother into his bed and held him all night long. The morning after, when Danny had apologized, he had just told him it was nothing to worry about and that he could come to him every time he had a nightmare.

"Well, my offer still stand," Louie replicated. "So shoot, what was the nightmare about?" he asked, lying down again and looking up at his brother.

Danny hesitated some more before doing the same. Great, he was thirty year old and sleeping in his brother's bed? That was rich! Nonetheless, he answered Louie's question.

"Well, it's about the case Mac and Stella are working on. I don't know why but since I've been to bed, I can't help thinking about it, you know. Strange, because I don't know what this case has particular. And when I actually got to sleep, I dreamt that they were still inquiring but things went wrong and they ended up dead and then, well, everybody around was saying it was my fault…"

He closed his eyes and Louie was not sure if it was because he was tired or to try to forget what had happened in the dream. However, the fact that the case was getting to Danny, so much that he actually had a nightmare, was something that frightened him. Was his little brother unconsciously knowing what it was about but could not remember it? That was still a possibility and, maybe, he would have to tell him about what he thought he knew… but in the morning.

"Hey! It was just a nightmare and everybody know you would never put your friends in danger so you could never be held responsible if anything happen to them. Now sleep, okay. We will talk more tomorrow… or, actually, later today."

Danny nodded and was about to get up but his older brother must have gathered he would do that and prevented him from leaving.

"Stay here, and sleep, it will keep the nightmare at bay," Louie stated and Danny simply did that. He would bother to be embarrassed when he woke up. For now, he was simply too tired to worry about that so he slowly drifted to sleep, not fearing anymore disturbance for the rest of the night.

And eventually, Louie was lulled to sleep by his brother's steady heartbeat reasoning into the room.

* * *

When Danny awoke, he did not immediately remember where he was. It did not take long for everything to come back into his memory though and he felt himself blush. Great, now he was acting like a kid, which was really ridiculous.

He would have gladly stayed in bed for the rest of the day, to avoid having to face Louie now, but he knew that the more he stayed, the more he retarded an issue he had no choice facing. He sighed and got up, preparing for a conversation with his brother. The older Messer had not insisted during the night, because he knew Danny needed his sleep, but the CSI knew there was no way his brother would simply drop it and let it at that, he would most likely be wanting to talk about Danny's guilt trip and find the bottom of the real problem. _Fuck._

Once he entered the living room, he found Louie watching the television, a mug of coffee in the hand.

"Hi," he saluted, heading to the kitchen to take some coffee himself.

"Hello, bro'. Slept well?" he asked.

"Yep, like a baby. I still can believe I slept with you…. Okay, that did not come out right," he added after an awkward silence.

"Not really, no, but don't worry about it. Actually I wanted to talk to you," he said once Danny had joined him.

The younger Messer sighed. He had been so sure!

"Listen, Louie, it was only a nightmare, there is nothing to"

"Not about that!" Louie cut.

Danny raised both eyebrows. Well, that was something new but, at least, he was reassured.

"It's about your friends' case," he finally told Danny.

"Hum… you do realize that I'm not supposed to tell you anything about it. As a matter of fact, I should not even be informed."

"I know, I don't want any information. Actually, I'm the one who has information," he stated.

Danny gulped, fearing to understand.

"Please, Louie, tell me you have nothing to do with it," he pleaded.

"What? No, of course! Danny, how can you think that?" he exclaimed but continued before his brother had a chance to apologize. "No, don't answer that, you have every reason to think that."

"I don't," Danny began but Louie cut him.

"But I pretty much know who did it."

"What?"

"The bullet coated in poison. That's Tanglewood."

Danny inhaled sharply. That could not be happening. Not again.

"But, usually, they do it so there is no poison except on the bullet. It's more difficult to analyze because it's mixed with firing residue."

"So they should not have been any poison's trace on the carpet. Fuck!"

Danny bolted and ran to his phone, composing rapidly Mac's number and waiting patiently for the man to answer, which never happened. Danny hung up, panic making its way up into his body. He closed his eyes, breathed in, and made Stella's number this time but, again, no answer.

Louie observed his brother, worrying when he saw him become paler and paler with each second passing. When, finally, the younger Messer turned to him, he swallowed nervously, fearing what he was going to hear.

"They don't answer they phone. They always answer their phone, even in the middle of something. Louie, do you know if Sonny has been released yet?" he fearfully asked.

Louie shook his head slowly.

"I don't know, lil' bro', what are you thinking of?"

"A trap," Danny whispered. "A trap."


	9. Chapter 9

**Title**: Bring me to life

**Chapter 9 and LAST**

**Genre**: Drama, angst, hurt/comfort (emotional)

**Characters**: Danny, Aiden, Stella, Flack, Mac, Hawkes and Louie Messer

**Pairing**: none

**Disclaimer**: Characters are not mine and the title is from Evanescence

**Summary**: the aftermath of Danny's suicide attempt

**Spoilers**: Tanglewood, What you See is What you See, minor information from Trapped and Run Silent, Run Deep (regarding background of Danny and his brother's relationship, only)

* * *

_**Chapter 9 **_

"_They don't answer they phone. They always answer their phone, even in the middle of something. Louie, do you know if Sonny has been released yet?" he fearfully asked._

_Louie shook his head slowly._

"_I don't know, lil' bro', what are you thinking of?"_

"_A trap," Danny whispered. "A trap." _

Louie closed his eyes. Would Sonny never let his little brother alone? But as he thought more about it, he realized that, maybe, it was not because of Danny that Sassone had decided to strike again. Maybe it was out of revenge, because Taylor and Bonasera had been the ones to catch him and throw him to jail.

When he opened his eyes again, they fell upon his brother's shape. Danny was sitting down on the couch, his head between his arms, looking down. Louie did not even have to ask to know he was thinking everything was his own fault.

Quietly, Louie sat down beside his brother and threw an arm around his shoulder, pulling him slightly towards himself. Too lost to do anything about it, Danny let himself be handled by his older brother and, as soon as he felt the solidness of Louie's chest, Danny lost it. He passed his arms around Louie's neck and hold onto him. He was shaking and nothing seemed to penetrate his mind.

"Hey," Louie said in firm voice. "I know what you're thinking bro' and I can tell you, you're wrong. It has nothing to do with you."

"How can you say that? I'm the one who run from Tanglewood and now they're making me pay through my friends."

Louie shook slightly his head and detached himself from Danny, holding him at arm length.

"Dan', Sonny has always prided himself that he was never going to get caught by the cops. But he was. Your friends did catch him and that was bound to make him angry, to make him want revenge. If he's the one to have set up a trap, trust me it's because he's angry with them, not because he wants to make you pay for anything."

Listening to his brother and being able to see his logic, Danny nodded. Okay, maybe the situation was not his fault. That was a good thing but it did not make him less worried. If Mac and Stella had been caught into a trap, their lives were in danger and he had to do something.

"I have to go," Danny decided suddenly, getting up.

"What! Hey, wait a minute, lil' bro'! You can't go there! You know that no cop was ever able to confront Tanglewood and saves one of their victims once they had been chosen."

"But who said anything about a cop going there" Danny asked, a wicked smile playing on his lips as he was setting up his mind.

No one, no one could touch his friends without having to answer him. Sonny Sassone was no exception and he was not afraid of him anymore. That he outed him to his boss and Stella was one thing, and he already did like it, but that he threatened his friends' life, that he could not accept.

Louie looked at him for some time, trying to determine what he was thinking. After a while, he nodded thoughtfully.

"No cop is going there, today," Louie whispered. "Only Jack Messer's two boys. And it's not going to be pretty," he finished.

Both brothers smiled to each other knowingly. Oh yeah… it may have been a long time ago but they had been in a helluva lot of fights when they were younger and, every time they fought together, they were the winners. There was no reason today should be any different.

* * *

When Mac opened his eyes, he could not recognize where he was. He took some time before remembering that he was abducted. He could feel his wrists tied up behind his back and his ankles in front of him.

Taking a look around him, his eyes fell upon Stella who was still unconscious. With an effort, he was able to move enough to be at her side and shook her awake. She woke up with a start and Mac could see into her eyes a flash of fear as she took in the situation.

"Where are we?" she whispered fearfully.

Before Mac had time to answer, another voice did. "Right in the trap I set for you."

Both detective were startled and turned in direction of the voice.

"Sonny Sassone," Mac murmured.

"I told you I would not stay in jail for long, didn't I? And now it's time for me to have my revenge. What a shame you did not tell anyone where you were going!"

With that Sonny laughed, confident that nothing could ruin his plans. Of course, the main reason he was so sure of himself was the three other guys on the place.

"I'm sure people are already wondering were we are," Mac answered. "Police is going to show up in no time"

And he really wished he could believe that, but Sonny was right. There was no way anyone could know where they were, not before it was too late.

"Cops would never be able to stop me," he said as he reached for his gun. He was so certain he had everything planned that he did not hear that someone was approaching and that was the reason he was so startled to hear someone speak behind him.

"So, it's a chance I'm not here as a cop, isn't it."

Sonny spun around, as did Mac and Stella and the other people in the room. All eyes were set on Danny Messer, who was wearing an evil smile. Mac and Stella could simply not believe their eyes. Not only because there was no way Danny could have know where they were but because of the way he was clothed and the way he was acting.

Firstly, he had quitted his eternal suit and wearing an old, ragged, jeans and a shirt way too big for him, dedicated to some metal band neither of them could recognized. He had exchanged his glasses for lenses and had his gun out, as well as a knife. Both Stella and Mac could see him behaving as if he was perfectly comfortable with the situation.

Danny, for his part, was anything but comfortable. He feared for his friends' life as well as his brother's. He was not used to wear that kind of clothes anymore, and wanted nothing more than getting rid of them, but he had no choice. He could not possibly have come to fight in a suit. And maybe, the look on his friends' face, when they saw him like this, was worth it… or could have been worth it if he had not been so damn scared.

"Danny Messer," Sonny snickered once he got past the surprised. "I'm stunned. Did you really come here on your own?"

"Not really, no."

"Oh… so you did bring the cavalry. Who? You're little friend the cop? Or maybe the other Miss I've seen with you. Oh! I would not complain if it was her, she's hot."

Danny did not answer but grinded his teeth. He could not bear Sonny speaking like this about Aiden. Fortunately, it was the time "cavalry" chose to make himself known.

"Not even remotely close, Sassone," Louie stated, coming out of the shadow to take place just at his brother's side.

"How touching!" Sonny exclaimed. "Family reunion…. You both finally set things right between the two of you? My, my, today is really full of surprises!" Sonny smiled before continuing. "But I'm sure you're not here to chit chat. So, you came here to save your friends, Danny, that's so kind of you. A shame you're gonna die for it, isn't."

"You wish," Danny snickered.

And that was the beginning of the fight. A chance Danny had had a good rest in the night, otherwise he was not sure he would have made it in one piece. Sonny was a hell of a fighter, as were his little friends. But, fortunately, Louie and him were pretty good themselves and, more than anything, they knew how to fight together. And, in less than ten minutes, both Danny and Louie were breathing hard, but at least they were standing… contrary to Sonny and the rest of the Tanglewood boys who were there.

Taking in the situation in front of him, Louie turned towards his little brother.

"You okay?" he asked, slightly worried because of the effort Danny had to put into the battle.

Danny smiled broadly. "Better than I've been in a long time," he admitted. "I feel.. Alive again. Maybe I should thank Sonny after all."

"Welcome to life, lil' bro'," Louie whispered, confidant that his brother was back to normal. Maybe Danny was right; he should thank Sonny.


End file.
